Feedback: Rip, Burn, Sync
by Myla Minoki
Summary: Feedback has been in one too many battles lately. Maybe a gift from a fan will cheer him up? Or not?
1. Chapter 1 The Gift

Feedback - Rip, Burn, Sync

The following document is a work of fiction based on the character Feedback, created by Matthew Atherton. Feedback is not the property of the author and no profit was derived from the writing of this document. The author of this fan fiction does not claim any ownership of the Feedback character or any Tech Support members created by their respective owners other than the author herself. Any relation to real events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Okay disclaimers done, on to the main event!

Chapter 1 - The Gift

Normal. For a superhero, that takes a new meaning. For Feedback, it means constant tests and riddles to solve. It means hours of playing and saving more people they he can remember, quite literally in some cases. It was like a pickaxe in a quarry, his powers slowly chipping away at his memories. In his case, if memories were money, he was making more withdrawals then deposits. He had been using too much of his powers lately. It just kept pilling up. Deathmatch kept sending people after him like an endless stream of villains. Now he knew how Spiderman felt.

"Feedback?"

He hardly had time to go out with Sarah anymore. It just kept on going and going. He felt every five seconds Mr. Forthright was yelling in his ear. He was tired. Oh, so tired.

"Feedback?"

"He passed out?"

"Looks that way Console."

"Should we wake him Forthright?"

"No, let him sleep. He looks exhausted."

"No. I'm up. I'm sorry guys. I was just taking a nap."

"Should I get you some coffee Feedback?" Cluster piped up.

"Thanks, that would be great." Feedback said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"On it!" He said and was off in a flash.

Cluster was to go to guy for coffee, or anything else Feedback needed. Mr. Forthright put his hand gently on Feedback's shoulder as Feedback gave himself a once over, brushing the rest of the sleep off him.

"Maybe you need a break. A real break. A vacation."

"But Mr. Forthright, I can't do that. A hero never leaves his city. The people need me more then ever. Deathmatch is out for blood. And I can't miss another chance to help someone."

His memory drifted back to the day he missed a little girl, desperately crying for help. Never again. NEVER again. He couldn't leave.

"I understand that Feedback, but remember, Beta flight is in full swing and Major Victory and the rest of Excelsior are more then able to pick up the slack for a week or two. Don't you trust them enough for that?"

"It's not that I don't trust them. Far from it. They're all great heroes and great people,"

"But?"

"But I just can't leave. I just can't."

"Fine. You really are stubborn sometimes. I guess that's why you're so good at being a hero. You just keep fighting."

"Here's your coffee Feedback." Cluster said and handed him the cup.

"Thanks Cluster." Feedback said then began gulping down the coffee.

"I'll talk to you more later."

"No worries." Feedback said and got up from his chair. He and Forthright walked out of the game room and walked out into the light of the common area. The two of then both noticed Console walking up to the both of them.

"Hey Feedback. You got a package back in the lab. Some fan sent it to you." He said.

"A fan?" Feedback asked.

"Yeah. You know you've gotten pretty popular around town. You're a celebrity. You're bound to get Fanmail."

"Don't know if Sarah will like that idea, but Okay. What's in it?"

"No idea. It's your package."

"Okay. I'm on my way."

"Wait Feedback. Just remember, my offer still stands."

"Thank you Mr. Forthright. I'll keep that in mind."

Feedback walked away from Mr. Forthright and head toward the lab. He saw Arc walking toward him.

"How's it going Feedback? Thought I would drop by. Ever since joining Beta Flight, I haven't been around much." Arc said and held out his hand.

"Thanks Arc. You've been doing a fantastic job. It's just been stressful lately." Feedback said as he shook Arc's hand.

"I know. Villains showing up every five minutes. Beta Flight's running shifts around the clock just to keep up. Don't worry, we'll manage. We are all supers after all."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I got to get going."

"See you around Feedback and tell Sarah hi from all of us."

"I will." Feedback said and continued walking.

Excelsior's running thin, even more reason for him not to leave. He just had to work though it. He nearly forgot why he had gone to the lab when Mandy waved him over, package in her hands.

"Hey Feedback! You got fanmail. Lucky." Mandy protested.

"Thanks Mandy. What's in it?" Feedback asked.

"Well, you have to open it first. Oh it came with a card. The name on the front must be their Tech Support name." She noted.

He looked at it. RDCRPT2NGHT. Hmmmm. Strange name. He quickly opened it and pulled out the card.

"Dear Feedback, you're my hero. I was saving my money to get myself a PS3 for my birthday when I found out my mom had already bought me one. So, I decided to get it for you instead." He read.

He immediately looked up.

"No way." He and Mandy echoed.

He quickly handed Mandy back the letter and began to rip open the package. Inside he saw another box with a plastic handle. He pulled the whole thing out and saw the logo on the front: Playstation 3.

"Wow, that's one heck of a gift." Liveinheaven said as he rolled up next to Feedback.

"Hey wait, there's more on the letter", Mandy interrupted as she finished reading it. "Hope you enjoy it. I was going to send some games with it, but this weird guy met me at the post office and handed me three other games instead and said you wanted them. I asked who he was and he said he worked for a guy named Deathmatch. Weird name huh?"

"Deathmatch. One of his challenges no doubt. That fan may be in danger. Where does RD live?" He inquired as he put the box down on a table.

"Here in town. Maybe a mile or two away." Mandy informed him, looking over the envelope.

"Alright, I'm going."

"What about your present?" Liveinheaven asked.

"I'll take it home and play some in the morning. It's not going anywhere." Feedback assured, placing the Playstation back in the bigger box and removingt the envelope inside it.

He opened it and pulled out the games. He set them down and took out the piece of paper inside.

"Okay. First one: what fastens two people yet touches only one? Hmm. Second, there is a word in the English language in which the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four signify a great man, and the whole word, a great woman. What is the word? So, a word riddle. I'll think about them some more while I go find RD."

"Here's the envelope with the address."

"Thanks Mandy. Let's hope I'm not too late."

--------------------------------------------

A knock came at the door of a small house in the suburbs. An older woman opened it.

"Hello? Why, you're Feedback, aren't you?" She questioned.

"Yes m'am. I received a package from this address. Here's the envelope that went with it." He said, holding out the red envolope.

The older woman took it and read the lettering and address.

"This must be my daughter Lida. She is a fan of yours. Don't tell me YOU'RE the one she sent that Playstation to?"

"Yes it was. Would it be alright if I speak to her?"

"Oh of course. LIDA!" The woman called up the stairs. "You'll never guess who's here! Feedback!" The woman hollered.

He heard a rush of footsteps from the upstairs, then silence.

"Oh come now Lida. Don't be shy." Her mother assured, looking up the stairs. Feedback looked around the stairs and saw a shadow of a girl on the top landing. All he could see of her were the yellow Velcro boots on her feet.

"You didn't like my present did you?" She mumbled.

"I really did Lida. I just wanted to know what happened when Deathmatch's agent gave you those games." He stated.

"He said he wanted you to have them, handed me the games and left. I saw the riddles on the note he left in the envelope. I figured one out. The fastens two people one. It's a wedding ring."

"Thanks for the help. Did he say anything else important?"

"No. Sorry. I'm just really shy." She murmured and waved her foot from side to side.

"It's okay. I just wanted to make sure all my fans are safe. Deathmatch isn't a nice guy."

"Thanks Feedback. You really are my hero." She said, then squeaked and ran away.

"Sorry Mr. Feedback. She's just really shy. Deathmatch wouldn't try to hurt her would he?" Her mother piped up.

"That's what I came to find out. I'm sure she'll be fine. I'll have my team keep an eye on you guys until I know everything's alright." He reassured her.

"Why thank you Mr. Feedback."

"Please, just Feedback."

"Sorry, I'm glad you came to check on us."

"It's what I do, keep people out of danger." He said and headed for the door.

"Well you be careful out there Feedback." She said, as they walked for the door.

"I will m'am." He said, walking out.

He ran off and Lida's mother closed the door. Lida walked down the steps, her face still covered in shadow.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Now we have people watching us."

"It's fine, Orbi. After this next challenge, they'll go away. At least I got to meet him once before..."

The mother dissolved like sand as the hologram collapsed upon itself and was sucked back into a small robot. The robot was shaped like a ball with six camera lenses sticking out from every side of it.

"I really like him though." The small robot said as it floated around Lida's still frame.

"So do I Orbi, but she has to be tested. And so does he."

"But why them, why now?"

"Because, it's their time. You know the story. A hero faces challenges and grows stronger because of it. Feedback is a hero. Now it's her turn."

"I still think this is a bad idea."

"Want to wager?"

"Same bet?"

"Done. I'm betting it works."

"I'm betting something bad happens."

"Oh lighten up, the main event's about it start."

---------------------------------

As Matt plugged the station into the T.V., he looked over the games. Okami, Final Fantasy X-2 and Tomb Raider: Legend. Odd. One was a puzzle game; one, an RPG; the third; a platformer. No relation at all. Maybe the riddles held something. The first answer was a wedding ring. That meant Sarah. Was she in danger? Had Deathmatch finally found out his secret? No, that wasn't possible. Was it? Sarah was just getting up when he finished plugging in the last of the cords.

"There, now what's first? How about Okami."

Sarah wandered down and put her arms around his neck and put her chin on his head.

"What are you playing today?"

Okami. They say the graphics were incredible and the power-ups are very versatile. That's good for me."

"That's the new Playstation you got from that one girl, isn't it?"

"Sure is. You want to play a little?"

"Don't mind if I do."

Sarah sat down next to him as the title screen booted up. Suddenly, the screen went black and then static began to flicker onto the screen.

"Uh, Matt?" Sarah stammered.

"It's not me. I swear."

The static dissipated and a picture of a red rock appeared on the screen.

"It's time to test you both. Know that I do this only for you're own good." An enigmatic voice said.

"Deathmatch." Matt demanded.

"Sorry, not this time. Remember Lida's letter. Remember her screen name."

Matt thought to himself. Lida's letter. The name. RDCRPT2NGHT. A red rock.

"Oh god no. SARAH RUN!"

"What's going on?"

"It's red kryptonite!"

"What?"

It was too late. A blinding flash of light came out of the TV and the system blew apart into fragments. Matt and Sarah were thrown backward, slamming into the couch and rolled into a heap on the floor. As Matt's consciousness began to fade he had only one question.

"Why?" 


	2. Chapter 2 The Rip

Chapter 2 - The Rip

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Reboot standing over him. He was lying on the examining table in the medical lab.

"Sarah. Is she alright? What happened?"

"She's going to be fine. Luckily, Dragonryder was scooting near your neighborhood. She could hear the explosion, so could the rest of the block. Don't worry; we blamed it on a transformer overloading. People will believe anything these days."

"Remind me to thank her when my body stops hurting. It almost fells like the pain I felt in the hospital after the accident."

"Should you tell him or should I?" Reboot said to someone Matt couldn't see.

"I will." Forthright's voice said.

Forthright walked over and stood above him. He had the most scared face Feedback had ever seen on him.

"Something's happened Matt. Something bad."

"What is it? What's wrong with Sarah?"

"Maybe you should see for yourself." Reboot said as he raised the table so Feedback could sit up.

Across the room, Sarah laid unconscious on another table. Wires and monitors of every shape and size covered her body.

"Oh please no."

"She'll be fine. There's only one problem, Sarah's body is..." Reboot began to say.

"What is it? Why aren't you guys telling me anything?!" Matt angrily asked.

"Calm down Matt. It's just that we don't know the right way to tell you this. Matt, your powers. They're gone." Forthright bluntly stated.

"What do you mean gone?"

"Just gone. It's almost as if you never had them in the first place."

"That's just not possible." Matt asked, stunned.

"What's even more impossible is this. Sarah has, though some twisted whim of fate, gained your abilities. It's like they jumped from you to her."

"You're absolutely positive?" Matt asked.

"Absolutely. We've run every test imaginable and they all check out." Reboot said, shuffling though papers.

"We didn't know how you would take it Matt. Feedback's gone." Forthright said.

"No, I may not have my powers, but Sarah does. When she wakes up, I'll tell her what happened. It will be easier coming from me."

"Thanks my boy. We don't want to have to beat around the bush twice in one day. We have work to do." Forthright said and quickly left.

Matt put his head in his hands. This wasn't possible? Sarah had his powers now. Deathmatch had sunk to a new low. Wait, not Deathmatch. Lida. The girl. She rigged the console to explode. She must have used the Deathmatch story to get under his skin. She knew too much about him. She had used his own powers and hatred against him. He had been played. Completely and utterly played. He painfully got up and walked over to the sleeping Sarah. She lay there like an angel who had fallen from the sky. She was his angel. Lida had tried to hurt her. He clenched his fist. Lida will pay. Pay dearly. No, revenge wasn't in him. As long as Sarah was safe. He knelt beside her. He gently brushed her hair back and kissed her check. Sarah let out a small moan of pain and stirred. She painfully opened her eyes.

"Matt?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

He took hold of her hand.

"What happened? That damn station. Who did this to us?"

"Someone who I trusted. Sarah, something's happened."

"No kidding."

"No really. Something has happened to us."

"Just spill it Matt."

"Somehow, you were given my powers. My feedback field, it's yours now."

"What?! Matt you've got to be kidding."

"I'm not."

"This is a sick joke."

"I wish I WERE joking. Don't worry, we'll fix this I promise."

"How Matt? We couldn't fix this when YOU had these powers."

"I'll find the person who did this. They're bound to know how to fix us. Until then, you get some rest. I'll be by to see you later."

"Okay. I will. I love you."

"I love you too. Always will."

He gave her quick kiss on the lips and got up. He went into the bathroom and changed into a new pair of jeans and a T-shirt and walked out of the medical lab. As he was walking down the hall, Blackthorn walked up to him.

"The entire staff's been briefed on the situation. The teams working around the clock to find a solution but have come up empty handed."

"I really appreciate it. You have no idea."

"We don't want Sarah hurt either. All our energy now is being channeled into finding out how to help you two."

"Do me a favor. Get my suit ready."

"But why? Matt, you're not.. nevermind."

"I know who did this. Lida, the girl who sent me that station. Right before it blew, it had shown a picture of red kryptonite on it. You remember what that did to Superman and Lois in the "Lois and Clark" series right?"

"It switched them!"

"Exactly. The name on the card was a code for red kryptonite. She knew this would happen. So, she can fix it. I need to talk to her."

"Wait, let's put a team together. It's too dangerous for you now."

"No, then she'll think something's wrong. I may not have my powers, but that doesn't mean Feedback means nothing. Maybe, if she sees me in the suit, she'll think it didn't work."

"That's one hell of a bluff. We'll keep a sharp eye on the monitors. That's all we can do. What should we tell Sarah?"

"Just tell her I'll be back in a while. I don't need her to get in anymore danger."

"Too late for that." Blackthorn said under his breath. "Okay, I'll keep her in the dark. You just come back in one piece."

"I will. By the way, is Dragonryder still around? I want to thank her for helping me and Sarah out."

"Sorry, she got called up by Beta Flight."

"Call up Excelsior. Tell them I might need backup if things get hairy. This is one of those days I'm glad to have friends like that."

"You got it Feedback. Oh, sorry."

"No, it's okay. Being called Feedback, even without my powers, makes this whole thing easier on me."

"Alright. Let's go brief the team."

--------------------

Sarah woke up and looked around. She was still in the hospital wing of Tech Support, but she had been moved to a real bed. Reboot walked in and saw she was awake.

"Oh, you're awake I see. How are you felling?"

"Better," she groaned then tried to get up. "Okay, I take that back."

She felt like her whole body was made of lead. She collapsed back onto the bed.

"You're still healing. Remember, it took Matt a little while to recover. You need time to recuperate." Reboot contested.

"I know Reboot. I just fell so helpless. Matt's out there all alone. No powers to help him. I have his powers now, but I'm stuck in this bed. How can I help him?"

"Don't worry. Matt will be okay. Why do you think we're here?"

"Good point."

"He'll be fine. You need to get sleep. Doctor's orders. We'll sort this out as fast as we can. Feedback will be back to his normal self in no time. Promise. Well, I'll leave you to rest." He said then got up and left.

"Don't make promises you don't know you can keep."

-----------------------

"Feedback, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Blackthorn."

"Good. You just holler and we'll be on that house like white on rice."

"Thanks Blackthorn."

Matt sounded grateful, but in the back of his mind, he was worried. He had gone so long with his abilities, he almost depended on them now. Almost.

"You getting nervous?" Blackthorn asked.

"Not a bit."

Not a blatant lie, but pretty close. After all, this was only a normal young girl's house. A young girl that had just managed to rig a Playstation to explode and switch his powers into his wife. Sure, normal girl. Yeah right. Matt walked up to the door and knocked. No answer. He knocked again. Still nothing. Should he open the door? His instincts all said no. It was that proverbial too quiet. Every fiber in his body said walk away. He opened the door. It swung open and the house lay in darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Matt called.

Silence. He took a step inside. All his senses were on full alert. He eyes went from one side of the room to the other. Everything was normal, except no one was there.

"Are you sure that they came home?" Matt asked.

"The monitors showed them getting out of the van and walking in." He responded.

"There's no one here. The house is empty."

"That can't be possible."

"At this point, I'm willing to believe anything."

"I'm glad to here you say that." Came a voice inside.

"You!" Matt hollered.

"Feedback what's going on?" Blackthorn pleaded.

One second. It's a short time in some cases. One second is all it took. The house itself, Feedback included, vanished. The house was instantly replaced with the rest of the lawn. It wasn't a slow fade. Just gone. Like switching the channel of a T.V.

"MOVE!!" Blackthorn bellowed into the mic.

The whole of the team rushed the lawn where the house once stood. It was gone, simply gone.

"This isn't happening." Blackthorn fumed. "Everyone, spread out. Find anything you can about what happened."

As the team franticly searched, Blackthorn saw a small red sign, on the ground. He picked it up and his eyes went wide.

"Get me back to Tech Support! Now!" 


	3. Chapter 3 The Girl

Chapter 3 - The Girl

Captured. He had gotten captured. How was he going to get out of this one? Matt had been going around and around for what seemed like hours. The events that had taken place were almost too impossible to believe. Lida had been waiting for him. He had walked right into a trap. When he saw her silhouette almost mystically appear out of nothing, he almost expected what was about to happen.

"You!" He hollered.

"Nice to see you remember me." Lida said, coldly.

She simply waved her hand and the door, frame and all, vanished. It was as if it became one with the wall.

"Why are you capturing me? At least let me know that." He said sternly.

"Tell me something. Do you enjoy playing those video games of yours? Do you enjoy beating up demons as Dante or destroying monsters as Link? You do don't you. Well, I have a very different game I play. But my playing field is a little bigger. I play with lives." She explained.

"People are not toys for you to play with." He argued.

"I'lll play with whatever I wish to play with. Right now it's you and that wifey of yours. Plain and simple." She shot back.

"So I lost is that it?" He asked.

"No, you haven't, not yet. We'll see how this all plays out, now that Sarah has those powers of yours. I'm testing her to see if she's brave enough to face me. If she does, she's going to make a good hero for this game."

"So that's why you gave her my powers. You MEANT her to come save me. That was all planned."

"Exactly. And to think if would have figured out the second riddle and its meaning you could have spared her this."

"The second riddle? So if she answers the second riddle, she wins?"

"No, she answers the riddle WHILE winning."

"That makes no sense!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, it will. Now, let us go to someplace a little nicer shall we?"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what you plan to do with us." He demanded.

"I'm afraid you don't have home court advantage here."

Chains burst for from every direction and wrapped around Matt. They tightened on him as he struggled to get free.

"Let. Me. GO!" He cried.

She gingerly walked over to the coffee table and grabbed a bottle and towel. She poured the liquid from the bottle onto the cloth. She then stuffed it onto his face. As he began to inhale, his eyes shot one last furious look at her. His eyes were so full of hatred and pain.

"I'm sorry. I really am." She whispered.

He faded from consciousness and fell to the floor. Orbi appeared and circled around her.

"Well THAT went well." Orbi said.

"He hates me, so much."

"And you figured otherwise?"

"No, I didn't. I just really liked him. It's too bad. A hero like him doesn't come around very often. Well, sometimes you're a king and sometimes, a pawn."

"Do you really think they will win?"

"I don't know, maybe. We won't know until the final act plays."

With that, the floor of the room began sinking lower and lower into darkness.

-----------------------

"Sarah is going to kill us. We are all dead." Pre-fetch remarked as he and Blackthorn walked hastily down the hallway of Tech Support.

"I need you to brief everyone. NO ONE is to say what happened until Sarah knows. I want her to know first."

"Understood sir." Pre-fetch acknowledged, saluted and ran off down another hallway.

Blackthorn made it to the hospital wing in record time. His fake leg was killing him but his pushed though the pain. Sarah had to know what happened. Reboot saw him as he walked in the double doors.

"Blackthorn, what's the rush?" He asked as he ran after him.

"I have to see Sarah. It's bad." He urged.

"How bad?"

Blackthorn was silent.

"Oh, that bad. Come on." Reboot said.

They both crept into the room. Sarah was sitting up on the bed watching T.V.

"Hey Blackthorn, long time no see." Sarah said sweetly.

"Sarah, I don't know how to put this." Blackthorn said hesitantly.

"Let me guess, something went wrong and now Matt's hurt."

"Not...exactly."

"Spill. Now." She demanded.

Her tone shot though Blackthorn like a flaming arrow.

"Matt's missing. The house. It vanished with him inside it."

Sarah couldn't speak. She couldn't think.

"Also, the person who we think is responsible left a note to us. I wrote down what it said. Here." Blackthorn said as he put out his hand with a small piece of paper.

She snatched it from his hands and read it. Her hands quivered as she finished.

"Dear Sarah, I have you precious Matt in my coils." Sarah read, "If you are going to have any hope of saving him, you need to play the tutorial. You have five days in which to get used to your new powers. Then, come to where my home once stood. There, you will find the door to your love. It will not be easy, but then what good games are easy. It's your move, white queen. It's signed: Lida, the black queen. Who is this Lida and what does she want with Matt?"

"That's just it. From the way this note is written, Matt's not the one she's after. It's you. You need to play her game to get Matt back. He's only bait."

"Great, now I have to save HIM. This has been a fun turn of events."

"Tell me about it."

"So, what do we do now?"

"That's up to you Sarah. With Matt gone, you're the only one who can stop her."

"I know, I know. What else can I do? I have to help Matt."

"But you can't help Matt if you're still recovering." Reboot pointed out.

Sarah threw the covers off her legs turned toward the edge and gingerly put her feet on the floor. She sat there for a moment to get her bearings. She then pushed off the bed and stood up. She staggered a step forward and Blackthorn and Reboot put out there arms to try and catch her but she shock her head. She straightened up.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to save Matt's sorry behind this time." She said as she crossed her arms in front of her.

----------------------------

Matt slowly opened his eyes. He saw a door in front of him. He noticed he was sitting in a small room. He got up and ran for the door. He had to escape. His arm reached for the knob, and then he felt a pull and his legs came out from under him, a foot away from the door. He looked behind him and saw his ankle had a thick metal shackle on it with cloth underneath. There was a chain attached to it that ran all the way back to the floor beneath the chair he was sitting in. He sank his head.

"Should have figured that one. I'm bait. I need to stay put."

"Right you are." Said a voice above him.

He looked up and saw familiar yellow Velcro boots on the door frame. His eye went up further and gasped as he saw the face of his capture. She was a child. She couldn't have been more then 13. Her arms were thin and pale, her frame small and meager. Then, he saw her eyes. No child could have those eyes. Cold. Cold blue. Like ice in the dead of winter. This was no child.

"You should have known better then to try an escape. I wrapped your ankle as best I could but I needed to make sure you won't go anywhere."

Matt stood back up and looked at her. He had been outclassed, out matched and out witted. He needed a new tactic and fast.

"So I guess you weren't fooled then by the suit huh?"

"Who do you think sent you that pretty little gift hmmmmmmmm? I almost laughed when you walked up to the house. You really thought you would call my bluff and come in your suit?"

"That was the idea." He said under his breath, then said, "So, how did you make my powers go into Sarah?"

"Now, now. I can't reveal ALL my secrets now can I?"

"No, I guess not. It was really impressive though, you really pulled one over on us."

Lida leaned up against the frame of the door, arms crossed in front of her.

"Why thank you." She said then walked past him into the room. "I hope you like your new home for the time being. It has everything you would ever need to survive your captivity."

They walked around the room and Lida showed him around.

"When you visited my house, a managed to scan you for you size so I got you plenty of clothes. Just mainly jeans and T-shirts. Also, don't worry. The bathrooms not bugged. I'm a sociopath, not a pervert." She addressed.

Matt let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Also, we have cable in here to for you. I also heard you liked Marvel comic books so I got you quite a collection." She pointed out.

It was than Matt saw what she was pointing at. It was a bookcase that was eight feet high and twelve feet long, taking up half the wall. On its shelves were every kind of Marvel comic book imaginable. Matt was in awe.

"You really know how to treat a hostage." He said.

"I should hope so. I need you alive and well when the fighting starts."

"So how long till then?"

"Five days, give or take a few hours."

"Five days?!" He exclaimed.

"It's how long I gave Sarah to figure out how to use your powers. I couldn't just let her fight the final boss battle without even a tutorial now could I?"

"So you want to fight her at her best, right? So you can have a clean victory."

"You DO catch on quick."

"Alright. I'm game. But if Sarah wins, you let us go and give me back my powers."

"That was the idea."

"But what if we lose?"

"You die, of course." She said, nonchalantly.

"That won't happen. Sarah may be new to the superhero business, but I know she can do it. That's because she has something more powerful then any weapon."

"And what's that?"

"My love and trust that she can do it."

"Is that so? Well, let's see how powerful that love is when I'm done." She said and walked out the door, shutting it behind her.

As Matt heard the door lock, he turned around to look back at his new room. In the corner was a small computer. It surprised him he didn't notice it before. As he sat down at it, he got the hope he could get a message out to Sarah, somehow. Then it hit him. Lida wouldn't make it that easy. Sure enough, no internet. He stood back up and went over to the dresser.

"Well, this suits of no use to me anymore. Guess I'll have to fight her as just plain Matt from now on. That will have to be enough, for both of our sakes." 


	4. Chapter 4 The Game

Chapter 4 - The Game

Arc and Dragonryder ran full speed up the walkway of Tech Support, nearly careening into several members.

"I can't believe we're the last two to get called in. This is so not fair!" Dragonryder panted. "Even K2 got called before us."

"I'm sure they had a good reason. They wanted to make sure Sarah was okay before they let anyone know she was out of the hospital."

They opened the double doors and nearly crashed into Mr. Forthright.

"What's the hurry you two."

"Sorry Mr. Forthright. We just got the call that Sarah was out of the hospital."

"I know, I'm the one who issued to order for you two to come here."

"You were?"

"You two were the only ones I thought were capable of this task."

"That's great, but why?"

"Feedback's been captured by a girl named Lida. She calls herself the Black Queen."

"So we're going after him?" Arc said.

"No, It's not that simple. I'll explain on the way."

The three of them hastily walked down the hall.

"As you know, Feedback and Sarah were both hurt when a device, disguised as a Playstation 3, exploded in their home. What you don't know, is that the device was able to transfer Feedback's powers to Sarah."

"No way! That's impossible isn't it? His feedback field was written into his DNA."

"Wait Arc. Do you remember that time Sarah got a small dose of his field and developed Jedi abilities. Maybe this is the same thing but on a much bigger scale."

"We were thinking just that Dragonryder. Unfortunately, it gets worse."

"So Sarah has Feedback powers now, how is that a bad thing?"

"Feedback's been captured."

"What?!" They both shouted simultaneously.

"The same person who devised the explosion also managed to trap Feedback. He fell right into a trap. That's why you've been assembled. Sarah has five days to train and learn to control her new abilities before she goes to save Feedback."

"Then we go too."

"No, It's her fight alone. But that doesn't me we can't help her before hand."

"Who did this?"

"Her name is Lida. She calls herself the Black Queen. Freakopedia is looking everywhere but is finding nothing. It's strange, every time we think we have a bead on information about her, it vanishes. It's almost like someone is getting to the information before we can and erasing it. Even the house itself. Old records and orbital shots from years ago don't show any house where it once stood. It's like the house was never there to begin with."

"This is bad. Really bad."

"You have no idea. Sarah has practically boarded herself in the game room. She wanted to be ready when we finally got her suit finished."

"So what do we call her now? Mrs. Feedback? Feedbackgirl?"

"That's for her to decide."

"So what's our job?"

"I want you two to take her to train with her. She has to learn how to defend herself on her own. Her new powers can only do so much and also there's its drawback as well."

"So she might lose some of her memories too?"

"It's a good chance."

"Well, count me in. Feedback helped me before when I was starting out, It's my turn to return the favor." Arc said.

"That goes double for me."

"That's great to hear," Mr. Forthright said as they walked up to the game room.

The door opened and they all went inside. Sarah was finishing beating The Chocobo Eater in Final Fantasy X-2.

"Can't talk. Beating a boss."

They stood silent for a second, then when Sarah finally put down the controller.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"How do you fell?"

"Better. Not only will this help me later, but playing games is helping me keep my mind off of..." She said then fell silent.

Arc walked up next to her.

"How many percent completed do you have?"

"32." She said then stood up from her chair. "The chocobo chasing mini game was awful."

"I hated that one too."

"So, why are you guys here?"

"Since your suit is almost ready, I asked them to come help you train with combat skills."

"Good. I need a break from playing. Console said that the games they salvaged from the house would be good for me to use when I finally got my suit. Not only are the powers made for a girl like me, but they're fun too."

"That's good to hear. Let's all go to the lab. They should be done with your suit by now."

"So what are you going to call yourself anyway?"

"I was really thinking about that but could only come up with one thing." Sarah said as they walked out.

"What is it?"

"Hey Sarah! They're done with your suit." Cluster said as he ran up to them.

"One second Arc. Alright, let's go."

They walked into the lab and everyone in Tech Support seemed to be gathered together. This was an event. Sarah saw a black drapery over a hanger.

"Here you are Sarah, you're own suit." Liveinheaven said.

"Go get 'em Sarah!"

Sarah grabbed her hidden suit and rushed into the bathroom. After a few seconds, the door opened. The looks from her friends were a mix of shock and joy. She stepped forward and felt the suit hug her body and, for the first time in a long time, felt connected to Matt again. Her suit shown black, as Matt's did, but with pink where blue should have been. She put her hands on the F on her chest, close to her heart.

"I swear. I swear I will bring you home Matt." She prayed.

She looked back up at her friends and crossed her arms.

"Guys, say hello to the newest girl superhero. Lady Feedback." She said with a smile.

-------------------------

Matt sat in his chair and watched T.V.

"Major Victory saved a bus full of civilians when the driver succumbed to a heart attack and the bus spun out of control."

"I'm glad the teams doing okay with me gone. Maybe I should have taken that vacation." He said as he changed channels.

A knock came at the door.

"Can I come in?" Lida said then opened the door.

Matt just sat there and said nothing.

"Wow, the silent treatment. Like I haven't seen that before."

Matt heard a rattling noise as she walked in. It almost sounded like...

"I've decided since your probably bored out of your mind, we would play a little game. Not a video game though, a real game."

She set what she had on a small table and opened a box. She began fussing with what was inside it. After she was done, she looked over at him.

"You're no fun. Okay, to make things interesting, I'll make a wager with you."

This instantly peeked his interest. He quickly turned around and saw what she had been fussing with. It was a chess set. She stood behind the black pieces and he on the white.

"I wager huh? How about my freedom."

"Sorry, can't do that. That wouldn't be a fair wager. I have nothing equal to wager."

"You could turn yourself in."

"Not going to happen."

"Well, what kind of a wager did you have in mind?"

"I'll unchain you. You can feel more like a person then a pet that way. If I win, I get that cute little suit of yours. It would look perfect in my trophy room."

"Fair enough. It's a wager." He said.

She held out her hand.

"Shake on it? I'm all about formalities when it comes to wagers."

He shook her hand and she sat down in front of her black pieces.

"Just to be fair, no time limit for moves. I want this to be a game of skill, not speed."

"You may regret that one."

"We'll see."

---------------------------

"How long have those three been at it?" Blackthorn asked as he walked into the observation room of the training area.

"Two hours. Sarah's bound and determined to beat her." Forthright said.

"You did good by choosing Dragonryder for this."

"Her and Arc are both members of this team. It was only fitting they help Sarah with getting ready for her bout with Lida."

"Do you really think she'll need all this?"

"By the way that Lida's note was written, anything's possible. She's managed to pull on over on all of us AND is keeping us completely in the dark. I have experts from every section of science imaginable and she STILL got us. That goes without saying she is a threat." Forthright stated.

"Putting it that way really makes you wonder."

"What about?"

"The sheer amount of measures she's taken to do this. It almost as if were fighting something thats not human."

"How do you mean?"

"Think about it. This girl is not only smart enough to figure out how to switch Matt's powers, she is also able to cover every track seemingly simultaneously. You said so yourself, you have the best team imaginable and she still pulled one over on us. Someone with that intelligence and skill, can't possibly be human." Blackthorn said.

"Then if she's not human, who is she and why is she doing this?"

"I wish I knew those answers, but I don't. Sarah will have to find them out."

"I admit I was a bit worried before, now, it's definite. We need a back up plan if things go wrong. We can't lose Matt AND Sarah." Forthright nervously said.

"I'm going to contact Excelsior, they're the best back up plan we have right now."

"Good. Also, notify the rest of Beta Flight. They need to know too."

"I just hope the fact that Feedback's gone AWOL doesn't get to anyone else. The situations bad enough."

"I know. We just need to help Sarah the same way we helped Matt. That's all we really can do." Forthright said. 


	5. Chapter 5 The Checkmate

Chapter 5 - The Checkmate 

"Checkmate. Too bad."

Matt looked down at the board. Lida had beaten him fair and square. He had put up a good fight, but in the end, had been defeated. He had lost this battle. What's more, he had lost the wager. She calmly got up, grabbed the suit and rolled it up in her arms. He didn't motion one ounce of concern.

"You're being such a good sport about this."

"The suit doesn't make the man. I don't need it, and I lost, so I'm standing true to our wager." He acknowledged.

"I appreciate that. There is only one thing I abide by more than anything, it's a fair bet."

"So, one more game?"

"You have nothing to bet."

"Information."

"Don't insult me. If information was money, Bill Gate's salary is pocket change compared to me."

"You know that much? You must have a lot of books."

"They take up too much space."

"Then you learn from the internet?"

"Only what I need to."

"Then how?"

"Let's just say I'm a lot older then I look."

"I gathered that much. Your eyes, they're not the eyes of a kid. I just want to know how old."

She just stood there silent.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity, I guess. Learn more about you."

"I see." She said as she put the suit on the table and gathered up the chess set. "So, you would wager your curiosity against my knowledge?"

"Is that a fair bet?"

"It is to me. You have a wealth of curiosity; I have a wealth of knowledge. It's an even bet."

"So we play again?"

"Yes, but not now. I have to place my winnings in the bank, as they say, and other things. So for now, I shall leave you. Till next we play."

"Till next we play."

She gathered her things and left. Matt sat there for a moment and thought to himself. Lida is hiding something, something big. That could be the very thing he needed to get out of there. He had to get leverage against her, but trapped in one small room, there wasn't anything to go on. He needed to get his thoughts in order. He walked over to the computer and pulled up a notepad and sat down.

"Let's see. I have questions I need answered but I have to get them in order before I do anything. Lida love to play games. So much so, she plays with people's lives. Why?" He asked himself.

He typed in the words "Why games?".

"Also, how did she get a hold of the technology she used against me? The technology in the Playstation, and the hologram projector. These were vastly powerful weapons. She has to have connection to someone. But who?"

He typed in "Who is helping?"

"Lastly, was her mother a hologram as well? Or has she been captured like me?"

He typed in "Where's mom?"

He sat back in the chair. These three questions could make or break any chance of escaping this place.

"If Lida likes to play, it's really time for me to get my game on."

------------------------------

"Blackthorn, we got K2 on the monitor. She needs to talk to you. Say's it's private." Console said.

"I'll take it in my office." He said then walked into the room.

Blackthorn sat down as his desk and a viewer screen popped up.

"Blackthorn, we have a problem." K2 announced.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"No, it's worse. I've been looking over Sarah's results and there's something you should know."

"Go on."

"The Feedback powers she was given. They are almost identical to Matt's."

"And?"

"That's the point. Almost Identical. They're different from Matt's version. First of all, Console told me she's been playing all three games at once. At once. Matt's Feedback Field was only able to hold one at a time."

"So that's good, right?"

"No, it's not good. It's like overclocking a computer. You get improved performance but run the risk of frying your hard drive."

"Are you saying if Sarah uses her new powers, she could lose more then her memories."

"If I ran the simulations right, if she uses her powers, she could end up losing her ENTIRE memory, or worse."

"What could be worse?"

"It could kill her."

"That's definitely worse. I'm going to warn Sarah. Thanks K2, you may have just saved her life."

"I do what I can. K2 out."

The screen went black. Blackthorn went out of his office, with his fake leg, he couldn't run.

"I have to get to her. Fast."

------------------------------

Lida sat at a huge computer station, she feverishly typed at the keys.

"Sarah's doing nicely with her training, shall we give her a nice gift for the effort?"

"Oh no. Not again. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Orbi, please. You're making a big deal out of nothing. Now do as I ask."

"Okay, but I'm not going to like it."

"You don't have to. I built you. I let you do what you will. All I ask is for a little obediance."

"What form?"

"Something big, something that will grab their attention."

"Giant robo?"

"Too cliche'."

"Godzilla?"

"Copyrighted."

"Giant humanoid building eating creature?"

"Bingo!"

"I'm on it!"

"Time for the mini boss fight. I hope she's ready for this. I know I am."

-------------------------------

"What is that thing?" Sarah said as she looked at the screen in the main lab.

"It just appeared out of nowhere. Simply was there. This has that Lida character's name written all over it," Forthright said.

"I'm going." Sarah said.

"You really think that's a good idea? You haven't had a real test with your powers, and none of us want to risk you losing memories over it."

"I have to do something. Matt had to face it too. But you all let him do it. Why am I different?"

He stood silent. She had a point.

"Alright, but you need help."

Arc, Dragonryder and Mach5 walked into the lab.

"Sorry I'm late Mr. Forthright. Had to deal with a bank robbery." Mach5 said.

"That's alright Mach5. I need the three of you to go as a second unit with Sar... I mean, Lady Feedback."

"We're on it." Arc replied.

Sarah and her three man team walked out of the lab and out of the building. Blackthorn came walking in just as they left.

"Where's Sarah?"

"She just left. We have a situation downtown and she needs practice using her powers." Forthright said, walking up to him.

"Oh no." Blackthorn mouthed in horror.

"Blackthorn, what's wrong?"

"We have to get her back here now." He commanded.

"Why Blackthorn? She has three members of Beta flight with her, what could happen?"

"If she uses her powers, they could kill her."

"My god, are you sure?"

"K2 just sent me back her findings."

"Then we haven't a moment to lose!"

"Sir, we have interference with communication. We can't contact the team. Someone's jamming our signal." Jitter announced.

"Lida. She did this." Blackthorn said.

"We've underestimated her, again. Now, it could cost Sarah her life," Forthright said.


	6. Chapter 6 The Burn

"Arc! Look out!" Mach5 hollered.

A twisted ball of metal and concrete had been flung at him from an empty building by the monster. Arc grabbed it with his power, flung it against another empty building and stuck it on. He nearly collapsed from the strain. As the monster hurled another ball at him, Dragonryder blasted it from the side with an energy blast, knocking it out of its trajectory. It landed in the street and rolled safely past Arc. Mach5 spun into a whirlwind around the monster to distract it as Dragonryder got closer. The monster roared in anguish and managed to land a lucky punch at Mach5 and knocked him into a building.

"Mach5! That's it. Game,"

"Hold on Lady Feedback, I got him!" Dragonryder called.

She let lose a wave of energy at the beast. He let out a roar of pain and melted into a pile of goo.

"Alright it did it!"

Mach5 slowly emerged from the rubble, shook himself off then walked up to the melted remains of the monster. Lady Feedback walked up to it and peered closer.

"Do you think its dead?" Dragonryder asked as she walked closer.

"Don't know. Hope so."

Arc hobbled over.

"Arc, are you okay?" Lady Feedback said.

"Note to self: never try that one again."

"Good advice. Looks like were done here. Too bad, I didn't get any fight time."

"Are you really that eager?"

"Just a little. How am I supposed to be a hero if I no one let's me do anything?"

"We're just not used to having a girl like you on the team." Mach5 said.

"Hey!" Dragonryder and Lady Feedback said at once.

"Sorry! What I meant was, we're so used to Feedback. He's used to his powers. We don't have to worry about him as much. You're new at this, we're just worried you'd get hurt." Mach5 rephrased.

"And that Feedback would kill us if anything would happen to you." Arc added.

"So that's it. I can't protect myself, even with his powers. They are MY powers now. I'm here to train to save MY HUSBAND from the psycho that captured him. This is hard enough as it is without MY FRIENDS treating me with kid gloves all the time."

"We're just trying to help." Arc said.

"I don't need help, I need friends. Friends that know when to let me loose."

"Okay, we'll back off. Right guys?"

"Right." Dragonryder and Mach5 said in unison.

"That really means a lot to me. You guys are...■

The rumbling from behind them stopped her in her tracks. They all watched in shock as the monster reformed. The monster roared in anger and threw its fist into a nearby empty building. The beast had been smart enough the attack in an area that was run down and had few people, which made evacuating the area easier. Either that or the team was just lucky. Lady Feedback was betting on lucky.

"Dragonryder, you copy?"

"Yeah Router, what's up?"

"We've done a complete scan of this thing and found the only pure way of getting rid of it is to destroy it from the inside. Outward attacks won't do anything much but make it mad."

"Well, that would have been helpful BEFORE I got shot into a building." Mach5 said under his breath.

"We copy that Router. Guys, I have an idea. Dragonryder, Mach5; get that things attention. I'll do the rest."

"What about me?" Arc said, with a little whine.

"You sure you're up for it?" Lady Feedback asked.

"Always." Arc assured her.

"Alright. Game,"

"Do you want me to hit him from the side or behind?"

"Behind. Game,"

"Should I try and trip it?"

"MACH5!!" The three of them said in unison.

"Sorry."

Lady Feedback shook her head. He glared at the monster. This was a test; she knew it in her heart. She would rescue Matt and she would bring down the person who took him from her. She was given these powers for a reason. She was no longer the wife who cheered her heroic husband on from the sidelines. She was the hero now. And today, it was time to prove it.

"GAME ON!!!"

A flash of white light erupted around her. Her suit was bleached perfectly white. Her hair turned a mix of silver and white. A dazzling sun disk formed on her back, a rusted copper green color. Dazing flames sprouted out from the sun disk and formed a tail behind her. Her ears traveled up the side of her head and transformed into white, furry, wolf-like ears. Her eyes became yellow and red markings covered her face. She had harnessed the powers of Okami Amaterasu, the white wolf.

"Woah! Cool!"

Lady Feedback smiled. She then looked at the monster. Her wolven eyes glowed bright.

"Let go!!" She called and leapt into the air toward the monster.

Mach5 began to high-speed "hit and run" the monsters feet. Dragonryder blasted it from the side. Arc grabbed a dumpster and hurled it at the thing. The onslaught from the three Beta Flight members gave Lady Feedback just the opening she needed. Her flaming tail magically transformed itself into a large, staff sized, paint brush full of ink. A brush appeared; time itself stopped and the world around her transformed into a canvas for her to paint on. She drew swift lines across in the air. As time righted itself, the lines transformed into sword-like cutting arcs that sliced into the monster and the brush transformed back into her tail. The monster roared in pain and took a step back, just as Mach5 wanted it to. He grabbed a chain and wrapped it around the monsters leg.

"Arc! Splice it!" He called as he threw the two ends toward either side of the street.

Arc saw the chains and spliced them to two buildings on either side of the street, causing the monster to lose its balance and fall into its back. Lady Feedback landed on a side building and looked down. The monster gave one great roar and as he let out his cry, she stopped time. With the brush in her hand, she drew three circles within his mouth, each with a small line sticking out. As time resumed the drawings became three large bombs caught in the beast▓s mouth. It gagged on them and swallowed the bombs.

"Get back now!!" Lady Feedback screamed as the bombs erupted within the beast.

As the three Beta Flight members ran away, the monster puffed up like a balloon then exploded into a mass of white goo, covering the area. Lady Feedback just down from the building where she stood and landed on a bed of magic grass that sprouted around her feet. The grass vanished as quickly as it came and Lady Feedback walked over to her team. Or, at least, what she thought was her team. More accurately, three humanoid globs of white goo is the shape of her team mates.

"This stuff is gross." Dragonryder said, trying unsuccessfully to shake it off herself.

"I love being a superhero." Arc said with satisfaction in his voice.

"Only you would be happy covered in white slime, Arc." Mach5 sarcastically remarked.

"Okay back to base to get you three cleaned up. Game off."

She transformed back into her pink suit and walked off with the three of them.

-------------------------------

Orbi floated over to Lida and made one lazy circle around her head then floated next to her. Lida typed feverishly at the keyboard.

"I lost the bet again!"

"That's what you get. You never bet against a winner. And in accordance with our bet, the game keeps going."

"Can I at least talk to him once."

"I'll make you a deal. If he wins my next game, you can talk to him."

"You underestimate him."

"Oh really?"

"I think he will win."

"You've said that before. You're usually wrong."

"That's the point, usually. You've been beaten before."

"Twice. All these years and I've only been beaten twice."

"True, but one loss in enough. You may say you▓re unbeatable but I know the truth."

"No game is fun if it's unbeatable, you know this."

"I do. Maybe that why you keep playing, hoping for that one person who can beat you. At least, that's what I think."

"Why did I give human reasoning to a robot, I'll never know."

"Because you wanted company. That's what you said when you created me."

"Maybe. Maybe I just needed someone to talk some sense into me."

"Maybe."

----------------------

Matt sat eating an instant dinner while watching T.V. Lida had preplanned everything, sure enough. That was the scary part. Matt tried not to think about it. The more he thought about the measures she had taken, the more doubtful he became of getting out of this alive. But the good thing was, this had been the first time in forever that he had been able to go near a microwave without getting sick. As he sat there, he heard the familiar knock on the door.

"Come in." He called in a dry tone.

A small box stuck though the door way and shook.

"Guess what time it is."

"Another game?"

"Yup." Lida said as she walked in the door. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, just watching T.V. What's the game this time?"

"You sound excited. Are you actually enjoying yourself?"

"Maybe. You still remember our bet, right?"

"If you win, I spill the beans. If you lose, I don't."

"I guess I need to win today then."

"Are you implying you let me win during the chess match?"

"Sometimes you don't have to win every challenge to win the big prize."

"You learned more from that little spectacle on T.V. then I thought."

"More then you think."

"Let's begin the game shall we? I assume you know the rules."

"Are we using a dictionary to make sure neither of us cheat?"

"Who needs a dictionary when I got Orbi. Orbi! Could you come in here."

"Orbi, who's Orbi?"

"Just wait." She said with a smile.

The small floating droid came zooming into the room and did a quick circle around Lida then Matt. Orbi then stopped and floated over the table.

"This is Orbi. Say hi Orbi."

"I can't believe you told him about me. You NEVER tell people about me." Orbi said as she flipped her lenses around to look at Matt though different scopes.

"Orbi, do you mind?" Lida said.

"Sorry Lida. Hi, I'm Orbi, Lida's right-hand robot. Though, maybe sidekick is a better term, seeing as how I HAVE no arms."

"Are you the one responsible for the holograms?" Matt asked.

"Speaking of which. Maybe you should change into your main hologram, Orbi. So Mr. Atherton here won't be distracted by your robotic appearance during the game." Lida said to Orbi.

"No problem boss." Orbi acknowledged.

Pieces of light cascaded off of Orbi's lens and formed into a shape. It began to become more detailed and solid. Matt gasped in shock at what stood before him.

"There that's better." Orbi's holographic image said, as she sat down.

"Well, that answers that question." He said under his breath.

"Excuse me? Oh, I see. You thought I had captured my mother as well. No, Orbi's been parading around as my "mother" for quite sometime." Lida said freely.

"So I noticed. So shall we get on with the game?"

"We shall." 


End file.
